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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381732">i don't know you (but i want you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/illmatchtheminrenown/pseuds/illmatchtheminrenown'>illmatchtheminrenown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:15:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,983</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381732</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/illmatchtheminrenown/pseuds/illmatchtheminrenown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>rosa has the brilliant idea to do a "strangers session" photoshoot. enter: her high school pal and her sister's boyfriend's brother.</p><p>title from "falling slowly" from once.</p><p>for malex week day 7: au</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael Guerin/Alex Manes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Malex Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i don't know you (but i want you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In hindsight, Alex thought, this had been one of the worst ideas he’d ever had, and his bad ideas included one that lost him part of his leg.</p><p>It all started with Facebook, and, really, story of his generation, right? He’d been scrolling aimlessly through his feed, trying to ignore the complicated emotions generated by seeing half his high school class posting grinning family photos with toothy kids and coordinating outfits and smiling spouses. Uninterested in washing down the pangs of almost-thirty singledom with his drink of choice, he instead resigned himself to wallowing in a little self-pity and indulgent, maudlin thoughts about how no one would want to take him on like <i>this</i>. The twinge in his leg, tired after standing on his prosthetic too long without rest, reminded him that, no matter how pretty his face was (and it was a pretty face, even Kyle had admitted that once), the whole “sexy soldier-turned-hacker” vibe went down the drain, in his experience, every time a potential hookup got close enough to find out the whole truth.</p><p>That’s when he’d seen it: a post from Rosa Ortecho, calling for models for a photoshoot she was planning. Alex was intrigued by the description: a “strangers session,” asking for two single men and two single women who would be interested in doing a photoshoot together without ever meeting before. In response to a comment from one of the Long aunts inquiring as if Rosa had considered the impropriety of forcing young women to pose “intimately” with men they’d just met, Rosa had replied “no. because it’s going to be super gay,” which earned a laugh out of Alex.</p><p>And somewhere in his wallowing brain, the voice of his therapist had emerged, reminding him to push his boundaries in ways that could still feel somewhat safe. Rosa was an old friend, after all, and had been one of the only people who actually bothered to give a damn when he was at his lowest. He could do a favor for a friend, right? That’s what he had told himself, at least, when he switched over to his text messages and typed one out.</p><p>
  <i>heard you need a model for something?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>i could do it, if you’re still looking.</i>
</p><p>*****<br/>
In hindsight, Michael thought, this had been one of the worst ideas he’d ever had, and he’d had so many bad ideas he could have written his dissertation on them. </p><p>He blamed Max, whose girlfriend’s sister had the bright idea in the first place.</p><p>He blamed Isobel, for making them all be friends on Facebook so she actually <i>saw</i> Rosa’s post, then signed herself up for one of the women’s spots and badgered him until he agreed to be one of the men.</p><p>And he blamed himself, for not putting more effort into his appearance as he saw his photoshoot partner approach him and Rosa, all dark soft hair and leather jacket and gray jeans that fitted so perfectly to the curve of his ass that Michael briefly forgot to breathe.</p><p>Rosa crossed the rest of the distance between her and Alex, throwing herself into his arms for a huge hug.</p><p>“Alex! You came. I wasn’t sure you’d show,” she said with a grin. “Come on, meet Michael, and then we can get started.”</p><p>Alex followed Rosa tentatively and got his first good look at his partner for the afternoon. And then he looked again. Look, he had been a gay teenager right after <i>Brokeback Mountain</i> came out, okay? He absolutely had had some cowboy fantasies, and this guy - <i>Michael</i> - was checking every single box. Faded jeans, a suede jacket with a soft wool collar, a belt buckle that Alex had to use every bit of concentration <i>not to focus on</i>, and a <i>literal black cowboy hat</i> perched atop a head of gleaming, wild curls. </p><p>“Alex Manes, Michael Guerin,” Rosa said briefly, gesturing between the two of them. “Do whatever bro thing you gotta do, I gotta grab my stuff.” </p><p>The name struck a chord with Alex, even as he offered Michael his hand. </p><p>“Michael Guerin… why does that name sound familiar?” he wondered aloud. </p><p>“Because, idiot, he’s Max’s brother,” Rosa called out from where she was pulling equipment from the back of - presumably - Michael’s truck, the affectionate eyeroll evident even in her voice. The two men looked at each other in mild surprise.</p><p>“You’re that Michael? Liz’s boyfriend’s brother, the… professor, or whatever?” Alex said. Michael laughed. </p><p>“PhD, yes, professor, god no. I work mostly in practical applications. Agricultural engineering,” he explained, before giving Alex a slow once-over that had Alex feeling a spark run down his body as Michael took him in. “So you’re that Alex. Liz’s friend, the genius hacker. White hat, obviously,” he added.</p><p>“Well, there must be balance in the Force,” Alex gestured at Michael’s hat before inwardly cringing. The hottest guy he’d met in ages and he made a <i>Star Wars</i> joke, <i>god</i>. To his surprised relief, Michael just grinned slowly.</p><p>“Always thought of myself as more of a Han Solo, honestly,” he said. “Although I’m not opposed to a good lightsaber fight, I guess.” And <i>how the fuck</i> did this man make <i>Star Wars</i> sound dirty?</p><p>Alex was saved the trouble of answering when Rosa stalked up to them, looking stern.</p><p>“All right, we’re heading out. Follow me, we’ll get set up, take some shots, and I’ll have you out of here before dinner. And you’re gonna do <i>exactly</i> what I say, got it? You gonna be able to follow orders, Guerin?” Rosa asked. </p><p>“Never had a problem with that before,” Michael drawled, grinning at her with a filthy smirk that had Alex blushing but that Rosa just rolled her eyes at.</p><p>“What about you, Cap?” she asked, turning her gaze on Alex. He nodded mutely. “Great. Come on, then. Grab the rest of the equipment - <i>carefully</i> - and follow me.”</p><p>They obeyed, quickly dividing up the remaining equipment and silently following Rosa out to the fields of farmland, towards an old barn in the distance. </p><p>“So, is it an ass thing?”</p><p>“<i>What?</i>” Alex nearly dropped the equipment he was carrying at Michael’s casual comment out of the blue. </p><p>“The whole ‘Cap’ thing,” Michael clarified. “Like, Captain America? America’s ass?” It took Alex’s mind a second to catch up before he realized what Michael was talking about.</p><p>“Oh, you mean… No, uh.” He found himself flustered under the other man’s unwavering eyes. “It’s, uh, my rank. Air Force. Well, retired,” he amended. He resisted the urge to squirm as Michael’s gaze stayed on him for a moment longer, then he grinned. </p><p>“I think my version fits better, but okay,” he said as they hurried to catch up to Rosa. Alex coughed loudly, unaccustomed to being flirted with - <i>if that’s even what this was</i>, his brain reminded him. He hurried to find an alternate topic of conversation.</p><p>“So, uh, what made you sign up for this?” Alex asked, slowing his walk slightly and noting as he did that Michael slowed to match his stride. </p><p>“Well, I just got out of a relationship, and you know how it is when you’re newly single, every person you know on Facebook decides to post the most nauseating couple-y shit,” he said. Alex nodded in agreement. “So I saw Rosa’s post, figured, why the hell not. The queer angle was just a bonus, felt like a nice <i>fuck you</i> to my bigoted ex-girlfriend, y’know?”</p><p>Alex halted suddenly, a sinking feeling in his stomach.</p><p>“Ex… girlfriend?” he managed. Had he been reading this whole thing wrong? The last thing he needed right now was to be stuck with some hetero bro who felt the need to assert his masculinity by proving he could kiss a dude in a “no homo” way.</p><p>“Yeah, ex-girlfriend.” Michael had stopped a couple feet in front of him, but now approached closer, looking… wary? But that couldn’t be right. “Why, you got a problem kissin’ a bi guy, Manes?” Alex heard the bravado in his words, but there was something in his eyes that was so vulnerable he wanted to just wrap Michael into a hug then and there, armful of photography equipment be damned. He shifted the box into one arm. In for a penny, and all that.</p><p>“Not unless you got a problem kissing three-quarters of a gay one, Guerin,” he said, more calmly than he felt, leaning down and using his newly freed hand to rap on his prosthetic. Michael’s gaze flicked down, then back up, but his expression didn’t change. <i>Huh</i>.</p><p>Alex didn’t have more time to think, because Rosa was ordering them around and getting things set up, and then they were straight into the shoot. Rosa took pity on them and started things out simple, posed casually with one arm slung over each other’s shoulders. It escalated when she moved them to face each other, directing them to touch their foreheads together and placing Michael’s hand over Alex’s heart, with Alex’s hand layered on top as if to hold him in place.</p><p>When his fingertips brushed Michael’s, Alex almost lost it right then and there. Touching Michael’s hand felt like what he imagined brushing up against lightning would be like - if lightning was somehow <i>warm</i> and <i>home</i> as much as it was <i>fire</i> and <i>spark</i>. And, intriguingly, judging by the way Michael’s throat suddenly bobbed as he swallowed hard, Alex wasn’t the only one affected.</p><p>He pushed it to one side - after all, he was there for a photoshoot to help Rosa, not to get worked up over Liz’s boyfriend’s <i>unfairly attractive</i> brother. That lasted until Rosa herded them into the next pose.</p><p>“Okay, so just like… lounge, in the grass. Like, it’s been a long day and you just want to-”</p><p>“Careful how you finish that sentence, Ortecho,” Michael said, that damned smirk back in place. Rosa glared at him.</p><p>“If I wasn’t holding a <i>very</i> expensive camera right now, I’d be punching you in the arm. Actually, you know what - Alex, punch him in the arm for me.”</p><p>Alex thought she was kidding, until she gestured expectantly. </p><p>“She did say you had to do what she said,” Michael added unhelpfully, a grin spreading across his face. “After all, military man like you, oughta be used to taking orders.” There was something smug in Michael’s expression that sparked the urge in Alex to wipe it right off his face.</p><p>“<i>Captain</i>, remember, Guerin? I’m more used to giving the orders,” he replied, putting on his best inscrutable, unimpressed face and inwardly delighting at the way Guerin’s mouth dropped open just a bit, his expression shifting into something… well, something Alex didn’t think he should dwell on at this particular moment. Rosa yelling at them broke the spell, and they arranged themselves carefully in the grass, mindful of Alex’s leg as they settled in. She directed them to “look natural,” which only made things awkward. </p><p>“You know, you can touch, right? That’s sort of the whole point,” Rosa groaned, trying and failing to get them arranged into a pleasing pose. “Look, instead of me telling you what to do, just… I don’t know, you’re both hot and didn’t seem to mind flirting earlier-” she ignored their sputtering protests - “so just like, pretend you’re on a blind date or some shit. What would you do - and nothing dirty, Guerin!” she scolded before he could even open his mouth. And that just left an opening that Alex couldn’t resist.</p><p>“Oh, you tell him off, but not me?” Alex said, raising an eyebrow and keeping his face stern and steady. </p><p>“Because I know you. And I know him,” Rosa answered. </p><p>“Mm, of course.” Alex let his tongue dart out along his lips. “And, remind me, which one of us showed up wearing leather today?”</p><p>Rosa sputtered, but it had the desired effect. Michael began to laugh so hard he rolled halfway into Alex’s chest. </p><p>“You know what, fuck you, Alex, you two deserve each other, honestly,” Rosa snapped, even as a smile cracked her lips. Michael was still laughing, bent into Alex, and without even thinking, Alex’s hand went up to the curls he’d been eyeing. As he tangled his fingers in them, Michael’s laughter died on his lips, his head involuntarily rolling up into Alex’s touch. </p><p>Alex’s laughter stopped too, but he didn’t stop playing with Michael’s curls, easing them down until Michael was curled into his side, head resting on his chest where Alex could continue the gentle motions.</p><p>“Oh, that’s good, just like that!” Rosa’s voice seemed almost distant as she snapped photo after photo of them just laying there. “Stay there for a minute. Talk about… something. Michael, tell him about your research!” </p><p>Michael propped himself up just a bit as Rosa fiddled with her camera. </p><p>“You don’t have to… listen to my stuff, it’s probably not that interesting,” he said sheepishly.</p><p>“No! No, I want to. Tell me what an agricultural engineer does all day,” Alex insisted. Michael raised his head.</p><p>“Okay. So, uh, I actually specialize in bioresource engineering, so, like, figuring out how stuff grows on the molecular level,” Michael began, before heading off on a tangent about sustainable farming practices and something about soil that Alex only half followed. Michael’s eyes lit up as he talked, waving his hands around enthusiastically, as if soil enzymes were his life’s calling. And, perhaps, in a way, they were. Alex had him pegged as an old-school farmhand type, maybe a mechanic or something, but instead, this rough-hewn cowboy was actually a nerd who wanted to make things <i>grow</i>, and the softness of that realization just about knocked Alex on his back (in more ways than one).</p><p>It was also why, when Rosa approached them awkwardly, he didn’t bolt, even though he knew what was coming next.</p><p>“Uh, so, you’re totally welcome to nope out at this point,” Rosa began, “but if you’re both totally on board, I’d love to get a few pictures that are a little more…”</p><p>“Intimate?” Alex supplied, noting the blush on Michael’s cheeks, and <i>huh</i> if that didn’t do it for him too. “Yeah, I’m game if Guerin still is.” Michael nodded his assent. </p><p>“Great!” Rosa said, cheerful again. “Honestly, trying to direct these is gonna make me feel like the sketchy camera guy in a porno, so just like, do whatever works for you and I’ll make it work for me,” she said, backing away slightly to give them room to figure things out.</p><p>Michael and Alex looked at each other.</p><p>“So, uh, do you want to - I mean, I could…” Michael tentatively put his hands on Alex’s hips and tugged, as if to pull him into his lap. Alex shook his head, and Michael pulled back, a disappointed look flashing across his face. Realizing his misstep, Alex hurried to assure him.</p><p>“No, no, I didn’t mean like - I just meant, uh. It’s easier the other way around. My leg, and all,” he said, hesitating over the admission. Michael’s eyes actually brightened at that.</p><p>“Shit, yeah, I didn’t even think. Here, I’ll just…” And with that, a pair of firm hands maneuvered Alex down and before he knew it, he was sitting with a lapful of half-kneeling cowboy, whose handsome face was so close he could practically count the individual bits of stubble on his cheeks.</p><p>“That’s great, guys!” Rosa called from a little ways away, moving around them. “Just stay like that for a minute!” Michael broke the awkward silence.</p><p>“Alright, I showed you mine, you show me yours.” Alex’s eyes snapped up to see Michael’s smirk (<i>was he ever not smirking?</i>). “Tell me about your job. Coding, or something?” </p><p>Alex took a deep breath. Focusing on numbers instead of the warm weight of Michael in his lap seemed like a good idea.</p><p>“Yeah, uh. I specialize in cryptography - codebreaking. Which sounds a lot more exciting than it is. We basically analyze data and create computer programs to decrypt info and test encryption systems.”</p><p>“Codes, huh? So, like, Morse code, and-”</p><p>“More like, vigenere ciphers, polygram substitutions, Playfair squares…” Alex said smoothly. This, he was good at. This, he knew. Michael let out a low whistle.</p><p>“So, what, am I talking to the guy who makes sure my credit card info stays safe, or the guy who pisses off the Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies?”</p><p>Alex hesitated only for a moment before his pride won out. “The latter.”</p><p>“Well, damn,” Michael said, looking up at Alex like - he didn’t know what. Like he <i>saw</i> Alex. Like he <i>wanted</i> him, and <i>that couldn’t be right</i>. No one had looked at him like that since - well, no one had <i>ever</i> looked at him quite like that. The silence stretched between them, even as Michael’s hands on Alex’s hips tugged them a little closer.</p><p>“Hi,” Alex said, a little dumbstruck, floating his hands over Michael’s chest until they came to rest on his strong shoulders.</p><p>“Hi,” Michael replied. His tongue poked out to wet his lips, and <i>honestly</i>, that was too much for Alex to be expected to handle. As gently as he could, Alex ran his hands up Michael’s neck, up to cradle his face and tangle his hands in those damn curls, and leaned in, slow enough that Michael could pull away if he decided that any of this was just too much.</p><p>He didn’t lean away.</p><p>He leaned <i>in</i> to Alex’s kiss, hands roaming up his back, lips pressed to his in a way Alex knew would leave them both chapped. And <i>then</i> this <i>asshole</i> had the audacity to run his tongue at the seam of Alex’s lips, and really, what was he supposed to do except allow him entry? He’d say it was a mistake, but the way Michael licked into his mouth, the way they both couldn’t help the sounds that escaped from between their melded mouths, the way Michael’s warm, calloused hands (oh, he <i>definitely</i> had been a mechanic or laborer of some kind with hands like that) slid under his jacket and under his sweater, and in return, the way Alex pushed his own beneath Michael’s layers to get at the warm, toned body beneath, how could something <i>that good</i> be a mistake?</p><p>When they finally pulled apart to breathe, Michael didn’t let Alex go far. Instead of pulling back, he tilted forward until their foreheads rested together and they could grip each other’s jackets. Alex’s eyes stayed closed for a moment longer, but Michael opened his, just to get one more look at Alex’s peaceful, kiss-stunned face.</p><p>“Well,” came Rosa’s voice, and Alex could <i>hear</i> the smugness, “that went better than I thought. I think I’ve got all the pictures I need, and as much as I’d enjoy seeing where this goes next, I think any longer and I’d end up with some shots that would <i>really</i> shock the nice little housewives of Roswell, so we’re done here. Or, at least, I am,” she added.</p><p>Michael shifted to get off of Alex’s lap, and <i>oh</i>, the movement made things very clear to Alex that Michael was as not-done (or undone) as he was. From the look on Michael’s face and the way he gripped Alex’s hand just a little too long as they clambered to their feet, Michael was very much on the same page.</p><p>They helped Rosa pack up, and too soon, Rosa was climbing into the passenger seat of Michael’s truck as he lingered outside with Alex. </p><p>“I’d ask you if you wanna go for a ride, but-” Michael jerked his head at the truck full of equipment. Alex felt himself flush, but refused to look away.</p><p>“You know, uh, I think I heard Liz mention something about a drive-in movie night next week,” Alex said, wetting his lips nervously. Michael grinned at Alex again, but there was something softer about it this time - less feral wanting, more sweet disbelief. </p><p>“That so, Cap?”</p><p>“Mmm. And I thought, I’ll bring a sixer to split, if you let me watch from the back of your truck,” Alex proposed. He tried to keep the nerves out of his voice - it had been a <i>long</i> time since he’d asked someone out, and never someone he’d liked this much on sheer instinct. Michael took a moment to reply, and Alex had to resist the urge to cross his arms or sink into himself, to protect his body (and heart) from being assessed and found wanting.</p><p>“And what if I don’t want to let you watch a movie there?” Michael finally replied, drifting closer, the slow upturn of the corners of his mouth making his meaning clear. Alex exhaled, reached out to tug at Michael’s jacket just a little.</p><p>“I guess we’ll figure something out.”</p><p>********<br/>
“You <i>cannot</i> be serious,” Alex groaned, rolling over onto his stomach and flailing a hand behind him. Michael grinned at him, perched at the foot of the bed with every inch of his glorious, golden skin on display and looking altogether too energetic for someone who’d just made good (again) on his offer to Alex.</p><p>“Now, sweetheart, why wouldn’t I be serious? I am <i>very</i> serious,” Michael drawled out, and Alex had to admit, he wasn’t lying. Two months after Rosa’s photoshoot, and things were, in fact, more serious than Alex had ever imagined they could be. Michael - beautiful, glowing, brilliant Michael - had somehow blown past all his defenses, patient while Alex pulled his walls down stone by stone, bit by bit. And there was something comforting in knowing that Michael, too, had his own battles to fight, his own past to work through, his own hangups to overcome. But instead of trying to <i>fix</i> each other, they <i>supported</i> each other - something all too new for both of them.</p><p>And also, fucked each other. A <i>lot</i>, and with frankly dizzying variety and equally dizzying tenderness. So, if Michael wanted this, then Alex was going to give him exactly what he wanted, and then some.</p><p>Alex rolled onto his back. The urge to turn away or cover himself was still there, but quieter these days, with the knowledge in his head of the molten look in Michael’s eyes whenever Alex’s whole body was on display, or the solid, intimate feel of Michael’s hands massaging his leg. He turned a lidded gaze at Michael’s camera, propping his head up with one arm and slowly reaching the other down to touch his own cock, which was steadily gaining interest in the proceedings again.</p><p>“Think this would work for Rosa’s next exhibit? They do say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’m not sure we even managed twenty words this time,” Alex asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Michael as he stroked himself slowly. Michael started to answer, but swallowed it back instead.</p><p>“Fuck you,” he said, swiftly setting the camera aside and scrambling to cover Alex’s body with his own. Alex enjoyed the simple press of their mouths together, the friction of their cocks together, before he lazily answered.</p><p>“Just did. My turn now.” He reached for the lube where it had been hastily set on the nightstand, enjoying the hitch in Michael’s breath as he got with the program. “Wanna go for a ride?”</p><p>******<br/>
Afterward, they lay curled up in each other’s arms. This time, it was Alex who pillowed his head on Michael’s chest, Michael who ran his hands absently through Alex’s hair.</p><p>“Definitely did not need pictures to burn that into my memory,” Michael commented wryly. “I’m lucky I don’t have to survey on horseback anytime this week.”</p><p>“Can’t imagine my bosses would be thrilled to see my nudes in an art gallery, either,” Alex added.</p><p>“So, we’re in agreement. No photos of this,” Michael said firmly. Alex nodded, starting to drift off with the soothing motions of Michael’s hands carding through his hair. </p><p>“Alex?”</p><p>“Mmmm?”</p><p>“How do you feel about video?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i stumbled across <a href="https://twitter.com/kyaxcheeks/status/1282829976874692609">this viral post</a> on twitter just in time to whip something up for malex week! also, thank you to mosca and parker for the beta read!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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